News note

Children, young people unite online to address climate change

DAEJEON, REPUBLIC OF KOREA, 20 August 2009 - Children and young people across the world are joining forces to address climate change with a new initiative, Unite for Climate, www.uniteforclimate.org launched today at the International Children & Youth Conference in Daejeon, Republic of Korea.

UNICEF, together with UN agencies, non-governmental organizations, youth activists, academia and the private sector have developed an online space to enable youth networks, children, young people and experts to collaborate on climate change using open-source technology.UNICEF and partners have been increasingly broadening the global scope of youth engagement through technological innovations. Through networking opportunities and social tools offered on the Unite for Climate site, young citizens can connect, share knowledge, learn, and engage in the issue of climate change.

Most of the tools are designed for low-bandwidth areas, allowing more children and young people to join Unite for Climate. Amongst other partners, YouTube and FlipCam have been supporting the Youth Climate Debates that will also be launched in Republic of Korea as part of Unite For Climate.

This week, children and youth from some 110 countries have been discussing the challenges of climate change at the TUNZA International Children and Youth Conference in Daejeon, Republic of Korea, organized by UNEP. An action plan will be produced and a statement delivered to world leaders urging them to sign a proactive agreement at the UN climate change conference in Copenhagen (COP15) in December.

Unite for Climate is supporting youth engagement in major global events, including: the UN General Assembly, Climate Week NYC, the Global Action Day organized by 350.org in October, and UNICEF’s Children’s Climate Forum in Copenhagen in November.

In addition, Unite for Climate will connect at least 150 schools around the globe from September 2009. The Connecting Classrooms project will foster dialogue on climate change between school children, and is supported by The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), the Earth Institute at Columbia University and the Mediterranean Center for Sustainable Development among other partners.